Composition of contact lens treatment apparatus

ABSTRACT

A limited use apparatus for treating contact lenses is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a case having a body and a left and right cover which are joinable to form chambers for receiving the lenses. Each of the chambers has an operative face for receiving the lens. A reactive layer is provided on a portion of each operative face. The operative faces and the reactive layers are dimensioned and arranged whereby the reactive layers come into engagement with respective optical surfaces of a lens positioned there-between when the cover and body are joined together.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Application entitled “LIMITED USE CONTACT LENS TREATMENTAPPARATUS,” filed on Feb. 5, 2007, having Ser. No. 60/899,459, thecomplete disclosure thereof being incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method fortreating contact lenses. More particularly, the invention is directed toa stand-alone apparatus and method for using same by which contactlenses can be cleaned. In a particularly advantageous form, theapparatus is of limited use and disposable, and comprises a caseincluding a pair of closable liquid sealed containers sized and shapedto accept and retain a lens therein such that the lens is brought intocontiguous wetted contact with a reactive layer during the treatmentprocess.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Contact lenses have come into wide use for both correcting a wide rangeof vision deficiencies as well as cosmetics purposes. Depending on thepurpose for which a particular pair of contact lenses has been designed,different geometries may be used. For instance, both spherical and toriclenses are in widespread use. In addition, a contact lens may be madefrom a single piece of optically conductive material—usually plastic—ormay be made from two or more pieces of optically conductive materialfused together. Regardless of the particular geometry and constructionpresent in a pair of contact lenses, certain features are necessitatedby the requirement that contact lenses fit comfortably over a wearer'seyes. In particular, a contact lens must have a convex exterior surface,and concave interior surface (where the interior surface is that whichis pressed to the eye, and the exterior surface is that which is pointedout from the eye).

Depending on the material used to construct the lenses, the lenses maybe either “hard” or “soft”. Hard contact lenses, which are comparativelymore rigid, are typically formed from a relatively hydrophobic materialsuch as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Soft contact lenses, which arecomparatively more pliant, are typically formed from a relativelyhydrophilic polymer such as hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA), which hasthe property of being able to absorb and bind a proportionately largeamount of water within a polymer network. Soft contact lenses formedfrom such hydrophilic polymers, when hydrated, are generally believed tobe more comfortable to wear than hard lenses because they conform betterto the cornea of the eye and usually cause less irritation when worn forextended periods. For this reason, the great majority of contact lensespresently prescribed are soft contact lenses.

For wearing comfort, it is necessary that soft contact lenses bemaintained uniformly wetted at all times. While on the eye, the moisturecontent of the hydrophilic material of the lenses is maintained by fluidreleased by the tear ducts of the wearer. However, when the lenses areremoved for an extended period, as for cleaning or while sleeping, thelenses may dry out and become irreversibly damaged unless they areexternally hydrated. For this reason, soft contact lenses are usuallykept in special cases designed to maintain an acceptable level ofhydration.

In addition to requiring hydration, soft contact lenses must beperiodically cleaned. While in use soft contact lenses collectcontaminants from the eye and its environment. These contaminants mayinclude proteins and lipids, including denatured ones, from the tearfluid of the eye, and foreign substances such as cosmetics, soaps,airborne chemicals, dust and other particulate matter. Unlessperiodically removed, these contaminants may damage the wearer's eye,either directly through physical abrasion, or indirectly by serving asnutrients for harmful bacteria.

Consequently, various apparatus and methods have been developed forcleaning and hydrating soft contact lenses. For example, cleaningapparatus have been provided wherein the lenses are submersed in avariety of liquid cleaning agents, such as surfactants, oxidants,disinfectants, enzymatic cleaners, or abrasives. Other cleaningapparatus have been provided which included mechanically operated orelectrically powered components for vibrating, rotating, abrading,scrubbing, heating, agitating, subjecting to ultrasonic energy, orotherwise manipulating the lenses to enhance the cleaning efficacy of acleaning agent.

Furthermore, certain prior lens cleaning apparatus and methods go a stepfurther and require added post-cleaning lens treatment procedures. Animportant concern relating to the enzymatic cleaning systems currentlybeing used is the need to remove the enzymatic matter prior to placingthe cleaned lens in the eye—wearing a lens contaminated with enzymaticmatter can injure the wearer's eye. Accordingly, users of enzymaticcleaners have been advised to thoroughly rinse their contact lenses freeof cleaning enzyme prior to using them. This rinsing step, however,requires user compliance to be effective. Unfortunately, users mayconsider such rinsing unnecessary, and/or may not be able to rinse thelens thoroughly enough to remove all residual enzymatic matter. As aresult, active enzymes may come into contact with the wearer's eye andthereby injure the wearer. Furthermore, in some instances, eventhoroughly rinsing the lenses may not be totally effective in removingresidual enzymatic matter bound to the lens.

Because of the issues outlined above, and other concerns, prior artapparatus and methods have not been entirely satisfactory. One apparatuswhich overcomes some of these shortcomings is described in U.S. Pat. No.5,657,506, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.This apparatus utilizes a two-piece lens container wherein the exposedsurfaces of two sponge members, wetted with an opthalmologicallycompatible solution, and each having thereon a reactive layer formed ofa highly porous non-abrasive relatively polymeric material such aspolytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), are brought into compressive engagementwith the optical surfaces of an interposed contact lens, whereby thereactive layers cause contaminants to migrate from the lens to thereactive layers. Similar alternate apparatus are also disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 6,138,312, the disclosure of which is also incorporated byreference herein.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,532 recognizes the related problem of residualenzymatic matter on the lens and discloses an enzymatic cleaningcomposition containing a component which is asserted to be effectivewhen released to deactivate the enzyme. This system, however, even ifeffective, still relies on the user to complete the steps necessary todeactivate the enzyme and to wait for complete inactivation to occurbefore placing the cleaned lens in the eye. In such a system, theproblems associated with residual enzymatically active matter on thelens still exist if the lens is removed from the cleaning compositionprior to complete inactivation. Furthermore, even if inactivated,inactive enzymatic protein may still adhere to the lens and may cause anassociated allergic reaction.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to providea new and improved apparatus for cleaning contaminated contact lenses.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide an apparatusfor cleaning contaminated contact lenses which is simple to use andeconomical to manufacture.

It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus thatreduces the steps of cleaning contact lenses by eliminating the need forrubbing and/or any additional solution.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disposablelimited use apparatus for cleaning contaminated contact lenses havingclosable liquid-sealed containers within which the lenses are containedwhile being cleaned.

It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus that makesit easier to clean lenses while traveling.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatusfor cleaning contaminated contact lenses wherein the lenses areenzymatically cleaned.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a self containedapparatus for cleaning contaminated contact lenses wherein the opticalsurfaces of the lenses may be received in a wetted environment incontiguous contact with a reactive medium whereby lenses can begenerally cleaned without the application of abrasive force (e.g.without the force caused when rubbing the lens by hand).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to an apparatus for cleaning a contact lenshaving a contaminated optical surface where the apparatus includes anon-abrasive reactive surface shaped and positioned to establish acontiguous engagement between an optical surface of the lens and areactive surface having a thermoplastic elastomer compounded with afluorinated additive.

The invention is more particularly directed to an apparatus for cleaninga contact lens having a contaminated optical surface where the apparatusincludes a non-abrasive reactive surface shaped and positioned toestablish a contiguous engagement between an optical surface of the lensand a reactive surface having a thermoplastic elastomer compounded witha fluorinated additive wherein the elastomer is based onstyrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene polymers and the additive is aperfluoropolyether.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself, and themanner in which it may be made and used, may be better understood byreferring to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like referencenumerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lens treatment apparatus in accordancewith the present invention in a closed position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lens treatment apparatus of FIG. 1with the right cover shown in the open position and the left cover shownin the locked position.

FIG. 3 is a close up view of the latch of FIG. 2 in the locked position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the lens treatment apparatus of FIG. 1with the right cover shown in the open position and the left coverengaged by a user.

FIG. 5 is a close up view of the latch of FIG. 4 in the open position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the open cover of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a close up cross-sectional view of the locked latch of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an over-center hinge of a lens treatmentapparatus in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an elevated view of the lens treatment apparatus of FIG. 1shown in the open position.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of half of the body of FIG. 2.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the body taken along lines 11-11 ofFIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view of one half of the lens treatmentapparatus taken along lines 12-12 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a close up view of the cover and body seal of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the bottom of the lens treatmentapparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of multiple lens treatment apparatus ofFIG. 1 shown nesting one a top another.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the figures, and particularly to FIGS. 1-5, a lenstreatment apparatus 100 constructed in accordance with the invention isseen to include a single piece case 102 including a left cover 104 and aright cover 106 and a common body 108. In a preferred embodiment, theleft cover 104 and the right cover 106 are rotatably coupled to the body108 by an over-center hinge 110. When rotated inwards to the center ofthe case 102, the left cover 104 and right cover 106 may be latched tothe body 108 by the latching mechanism illustrated in FIG. 3. Thelatching mechanism comprises a pair of lateral slots 114 made in thebody 108 and a latch 112 disposed on the covers (104, 106). In theclosed position of FIGS. 2 and 3, the latch 112 engages the slot 114thereby locking the left cover 104 and/or the right cover 106 to thebody 108. Preferably (as best shown in FIG. 7) latch 112 has a beveledor canted edge to facilitate engagement with slot 114 and concomitantlyslot 114 preferably has a lip 122 to facilitate the engagement withlatch 112. The latch features require squeezing both front 116 and back118 sides in order to release the mechanism, see FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are a closer illustration of the latch mechanism. In orderto open the latch, the user applies pressure to a flange 120 coupled tothe latch 112 towards the center of the case 102 enabling the latch 112to clear the lip 122 of the slot 114 of the body 108 of the case 102.The disclosed squeeze to release latch mechanism allows the case to beopened without splashing that would otherwise occur with a push or pullsnap design. The squeeze and release mechanism further reduces the riskthat the case will accidentally open while a user carries it.

As discussed earlier, the left cover 104 and right cover 106 are coupledto the body 108 by a pair of over center hinges 110. For economical andreliable manufacturing, these over center hinges 110 are preferablyconstructed as living hinges.

Once unlatched, the left cover 104 and the right cover 106 of the caseare kept open by the over-center hinge 110. More particularly, and asshown in FIG. 1, each over-center hinge 110 includes a center biasedmember 124 and a pair of side stabilizing members 126. When in theclosed position, the center biased member 124 urges the right cover 106towards the closed position. Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 however,once the user opens the right cover 106 past a threshold distance, thecenter biased member 124 is consequently forced to bias the right cover106 in the opposite direction and the remaining displacement of theright cover 106 to the fully open position becomes automatic. Theover-center hinge 110 used on the left cover 104 operates identically.This snap action living hinge design keeps the cover open to permitergonomic access for contact lens insertion and removal. As shown inFIG. 9, the covers (104 and 106) open outward to provide clear accessfor the user to insert and remove contact lenses. The three piece wideliving hinge feature of the preferred embodiment promotes stability forthe seal (infra) and keeps the cover in a more stable position that isaccordingly less likely to spill during use. The over-center hinge 110can be engineered to fail after a predetermined number of uses to ensurethat the case is not used indefinitely.

Turning to FIG. 10, a pair of chambers 127 are formed in the body 108 ofthe case 102 (only the right chamber 127 is illustrated in FIG. 10; theleft chamber is identical). The chamber 127 is constructed of a pliantmaterial and is designed to conform to the various soft contact lensgeometries. A number of protrusions 130 are formed within the chamber127, and are configured to limit the lateral movement of the contactlens when the cover (104, 106) is closed over the body 108, therebyensuring proper capture of the contact lens. The illustrated locationand size of the protrusions 130 are designed to allow for ergonomicaccess to the contact lens while still limiting the lateral movement ofthe contact lens. Referring to FIG. 11, the radius 132 and diameter 134of the lens contact surface 128 is designed to accommodate the vastmajority of sizes of contact lenses. The depth 136 of the chamber 127 isdesigned to accommodate the desired fill volume (liquid and lens) and tofacilitate ergonomic access to the contact lenses.

Once the user's contact lenses are firmly positioned within the chamber127 and restrained by the protrusions 130, the covers (104, 106) arelocked in place via the engagement of latch 112 and slot 114 asdescribed above. Referring now to FIG. 12, inwardly projection 140 isformed in each of the covers (104, 106). As illustrated, projection 140is generally cylindrical, with a spherical endpoint, which is shaped tointerface with the concave side of a soft contact lens. Each projection140 is covered with a cover elastomer 138, which is designed to be aclose fit with the body elastomer 128 in order to ensure that thecontact lens is in firm contact on both sides with elastomer (128, 138).The cover elastomer 138 is disposed over a rigid material that is usedto form the case 102 to provide a firm, conforming surface for the bodyelastomer 128 and contact lens. Case 102 can also be formed frommultiple compositions, such as for example, being formed from a two-slotmold wherein the main body of case 102 is one composition and adifferent composition can be used for elastomers 128 and 138. It willfurther be appreciated that projections 140 can be of the samecomposition as used for elastomers 128 and 138 and that projection 140and its cover elastomer 138 can be a single composition.

As explained later, placing a pair of contact lenses and cleaning liquidinto the disclosed case will cause contaminants to migrate off of thelenses to the elastomers 128 and 138 after sufficient time elapses.After the lenses have been cleaned, the user then squeezes the flange120 of the latch towards the center of the case 102 as previouslydescribed to open the covers (104, 106). The firm contact of the lensesbetween the cover elastomer 138 and the body elastomer 128 when the caseis closed creates a physical environment wherein the lenses tend toremain on the cover elastomer 138 on opening the case. Accordingly, thelenses are presented for removal on the convex engaging surface once thecase is opened. Rather than having to retrieve the lens from thechambers 127 and manipulating them by turning them over for use, theuser need only remove the lens from the cover elastomer 138 and directlyplace over the eye. This is especially advantageous for the user as anylens manipulation increases contaminants as well as the likelihood offolding and/or tearing.

FIG. 13 illustrates the dual sealing on the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention. This dual seal provides a double moisture barrier andeliminates any need for a foil seal. The seal features are tapered to beself aligning and to provide an aggressive seal across the tolerancerange of injection molding. More particularly, the cover seal 142 fitsfirmly between the body inner seal 144 and the body outer seal 146. Thebody inner seal 144 acts as a splash guard to prevent solution frombeing splashed from the assembly during contact lens access and/orclosure of the cover (104, 106). The body inner seal 144 is pliant toallow for an aggressive seal without excessive force required to closethe cover (104,106). This seal can be further described, referring toFIG. 2, as the utilization of a rim 148 received within a channel 150.

The case 102 has been designed with a number of other unique features.Referring back to FIG. 1, a company logo 152 is molded into the covers(104, 106) so that one having a sight impediment can readily determinethe left side from the right side. Similarly, a raised bump 154 or anyother unique indicator can be used to distinguish the left cover 104from the right cover 106. Certain users may have different prescriptionsfor their left contact lens and their right contact lens, and thedistinct markings of the case 102 allow a user keep track of which sidehas which lens. The case 102 has also been provided with a number ofstabilizing feet 156, which stabilizes the case in environments that aresubject to vibration (such as airplanes or trains), and/or whereperfectly flat surfaces are not available. Further, as can be seen inFIG. 14, although the underside of the body 108 is spacious, the leftand right sides are re-enforced with bars 158 to keep the case fromtwisting. This further stabilizes the case while the user opens andcloses the case.

While the spaciousness of the underside makes the case lightweight,another design feature is the ability to stack cases on top of oneanother. In fact, as FIG. 15 illustrates, multiple cases can easily benested for ease in packaging and transport. The covers (104, 106) of onecase nests within the underside (FIG. 14) of another to save space aswell as prevent sliding of any case within a stack of cases.

The case 102 can be constructed from any suitable material and can beconstructed for single use or repeated use applications. For examplecase 102 can be constructed from polymeric materials, includingsynthetic polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, polyethylene terephthalate and other similar materials and caninclude common additives including, but not limited to, fillers,pigments and plasticizers. Case 102 can also be constructed from naturalmaterials such as cellulose. For example, a preferred material for case102 is a fibrous cellulose which is compliant and absorbent.

When using an absorbent material such as fibrous cellulose for case 102it may be desirable to treat or coat the exterior of the case 102 toprovide the case 102 with a moisture impermeable barrier to preventleakage of solution from the case 102. For example, a wax can be appliedto the exterior of an absorbent material such as a cellulose containerbody to provide a moisture barrier. Alternatively, a plastic coating ormetal foil can be applied to the exterior of such a material to providea moisture barrier. Alternatively, case 102 can be constructed from amoisture impermeable shell such as a shell made from a synthetic polymerand an absorbent cellulose insert dimensioned to fit within such shell.

The preferred material used to make the outside of case 102 is HuntsmanPolypropylene 13T10A, although it could be made of several differentmaterials. The advantage of this polypropylene is that the case can bemade in one part using the living hinge as described above. It isenvisioned that other crystalline materials such as High DensityPolyethylene would also work as a single piece with a living hinge.

The teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,662,397, 6,343,399, 6,280,530,6,134,736, 5,891,258 and 5,657,506 further incorporated herein byreference, describe the functional lens treatment aspects of thedisclosed lens treatment apparatus. In connection therewith, body lenscontact surface (body elastomer) 128 and cover lens contact surface(cover elastomer) 138 serve as non-abrasive, reactive surfaces whichattract contaminant matter from the lens. As set forth in, for example,U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,506, incorporated by reference herein, thesereactive surfaces may be formed from, among other compositions, a highlyporous non-abrasive relatively polymeric material such aspolytetrafluroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF),polypropylene, polyethylene, polyacrylonitrile, polymethylmethacrylate,polysulfone, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, as well as, for example,charged surface cellulosics, polyamides, and nylon based compositions.

Various TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) materials can be used to meet themechanical requirements of body lens contact surface 128 and cover lenscontact surface 138 to conform to the various lens sizes and provide awater tight seal. However, preferred elastomers include styrenic blockcopolymer (SBC) elastomers and more preferably block copolymers ofpolystyrene-poly(ethylene/butylenes)-polystyrene also knows as SEBS(Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene Block Copolymer). The preferredmaterial to be used with the features described in the present inventionare the G lines of SEBS polymer compounds marketed by GLS Corporationunder the trade names of DYNAFLEX® and KRATON® (Dynaflex is a registeredtrademark of GLS Corporation and Kraton is a trademark of KRATONPolymers U.S. LLC), including, for example, Dynaflex G2711 elastomercompound and Kraton G2705 SEBS plastic material. For preferredembodiments of the present invention the preferred block compolymer isDynaflex G2711 Thermoplastic Elastomer.

The block copolymers can be compounded with other materials such asoils, other polymers and additives. It has unexpectedly been found thatblending the thermosplastic elastomer with a fluorinated compound notonly provides an elastomer that has good mechanical properties but alsoprovides an elastomer that has enhanced reactive properties relative tothe contaminants on the contact lens. In that regard, it was known fromU.S. Pat. No. 5,657,506, incorporated by reference herein, that thereactive layer may be formed from highly porous non-abrasive relativelypolymeric material such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) andpolyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), among others. However, it was notearlier appreciated that blending a relatively small amount of afluorinated compound with a thermoplastic compound would provide athermoplastic resin having both good mechanical properties and enhancedreactive properties relative to the contaminants on the contact lens.

For purposes of the present invention, preferred fluoro additives arethose based on fluorinated synthetic oil (perfluoropolyether) such asthose marketed by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (“DuPont”).Particularly effective in the present application is Fluoroguard® SG(Fluoroguard is a registered trademark of DuPont) perfluoropolyetherwhich is a colorless, odorless, nonflammable, and chemically inertpolymer compounding additive based on fluorinated synthetic oil with atypical value for average molecular weight of 4950, a typical density of1.9 g/mL at 230, a typical pour point of −36° C., and a typicalrefractive index of 1.3 nD25. Preferably the fluorinated composition isadded within a range of 0.1 to 5.0 percent, more preferably 0.1 to 2.0percent and even more preferably 0.5 to 2.0 percent (by weight) of thethermoplastic material. A particularly preferred composition of thereactive layers is Dynaflex® G2711 thermoplastic resin compounded withFluoroguard® SG fluorinated synthetic oil wherein the fluorinatedsynthetic oil is compounded at a 2% weight ratio to the thermoplasticcompound. The compositions used for the reactive surfaces preferablyhave a Shore A hardness of 25 to 60, more preferably a Shore A hardnessof 35 to 50 and most preferably a Shore A hardness of 40 to 45.

Prior to use of the apparatus is preferably moistened with anopthalmologically compatible solution. Various opthalmologicallycompatible solutions can be used including wetting solutions, salinesolutions, non-enzymatic cleaning solutions, enzymatic cleaningsolutions, disinfectant solutions, and combinations thereof. Thesolution can be independently purchased, prepackaged with the apparatusor placed in the apparatus prior to insertion of the contact lens. Thesolution is placed in the body 108 to the desired fill volume andpreferably is present in a sufficient amount to flow around the ends ofreactive contact surfaces 128 and 138 and around and under the lensesproviding a fluid communication interface when the apparatus is in theclosed position. Providing a wetted contact environment facilitatesmigration of the contaminants from the lens to the reactive contactsurfaces 128 and 138.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Thedescription was selected to best explain the principles of the inventionand practical application of these principles to enable others skilledin the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments andvarious modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.It is intended that the scope of the invention not be limited by thespecification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.

1. An apparatus for cleaning a contact lens having a contaminatedoptical surface, comprising: a lens containment device, said deviceincluding a non-abrasive reactive surface shaped and positioned toestablish a contiguous engagement between an optical surface of the lensand the reactive surface, and said reactive surface comprising athermoplastic elastomer compounded with a fluorinated additive.
 2. Thelens cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomeris a styrenic block copolymer elastomer.
 3. The lens cleaning apparatusof claim 2 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer is based onstyrene-ethylene/butylenes-styrene polymers.
 4. The lens cleaningapparatus of claim 1 wherein said fluorinated additive is a fluorinatedsynthetic oil.
 5. The lens cleaning apparatus of claim 4 wherein saidfluorinated additive is present in an amount of 0.1 to 5 per cent byweight of said thermoplastic elastomer.
 6. The lens cleaning apparatusof claim 5 wherein said fluorinated additive is present in an amount of0.1 to 2 per cent by weight of said thermoplastic elastomer.
 7. The lenscleaning apparatus of claim 6 wherein said fluorinated additive ispresent in an amount of 0.5 to 2 per cent by weight of saidthermoplastic elastomer.
 8. The lens cleaning apparatus of claim 5wherein said reactive surface has a Shore A hardness of 25 to
 60. 9. Thelens cleaning apparatus of claim 8 wherein said reactive surface has aShore A hardness of 35 to
 50. 10. The lens cleaning apparatus of claim 9wherein said reactive surface has a Shore A hardness of 40 to
 45. 11. Anapparatus for cleaning a contact lens having an optical surface andcontaminated with contaminant matter, comprising: a non-abrasivereactive surface shaped and positioned to establish a contiguousengagement between an optical surface of the lens and the reactivesurface, said reactive surface comprising a thermoplastic elastomercompounded with a fluorinated additive wherein said thermoplasticelastomer is based on styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene polymers andsaid fluorinated additive is a perfluoropolyether.
 12. The lens cleaningapparatus of claim 11 wherein said fluorinated additive is present in anamount of 0.1 to 5 per cent by weight of said thermoplastic elastomer.13. The lens cleaning apparatus of claim 12 wherein said fluorinatedadditive is present in an amount of 0.1 to 2 per cent by weight of saidthermoplastic elastomer.
 14. The lens cleaning apparatus of claim 13wherein said fluorinated additive is present in an amount of 0.5 to 2per cent by weight of said thermoplastic elastomer.
 15. The lenscleaning apparatus of claim 12 wherein said reactive layer has a Shore Ahardness of 25 to
 60. 16. The lens cleaning apparatus of claim 15wherein said reactive surface has a Shore A hardness of 35 to
 50. 17.The lens cleaning apparatus of claim 16 wherein said reactive surfacehas a Shore A hardness of 40 to 45.